Training Days
by The Sapphire Prince
Summary: Hello! This is the miniseries that revolves around the days that Rosie is training for the Flower League Championships. *THIRD AND FINAL CHAP HERE*
1. Hello Coconut I'm Home

Training Days: Hello Coconut I'm Home

Written By: Sapphire Mists

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hello fellow fanfiction readers! Sapphire Mists is here and is ready to entertain you with my writing. But first, I want to make a few things clear.

1). I do not own pokemon. However, I do own Rosie and other characters who don't normally appear in the original storyline. I also own her pokemon names and personalities.

2). If you would like to use the characters and/or their pokemon, you must have my permission.

3). If you haven't read the other parts to this wonderful storyline, please do so!

4). As always, REVIEW THE FANFICS! PLEASE!

Here are a few things that you should also know.

__

Italics: Someone's thoughts

****

Bold: The other pokemon's thoughts

...: Translated pokemon speech

*!*: A battle sequence, if there are more than one, more battles are taking place

***: A break in the page

:...:: Inside the Crystal Ball 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Prologue

Hey everyone! What's up?

I see that you noticed the new name huh? Well I'm no longer on my pokemon adventures right now. These are what I like to call the training days. Because that is what I'll be doing for the next few months.

Previously I was on Starry Island; the last island that I needed to go to so I can get into the Flower League Championships. 

While we were on Starry Island, we met an old hermit named Yuki. Yuki is a nice old man that invented a useful potion called the Star Potion. It heals pokemon and makes them want to fight. We stayed on his farm for a day and helped him harvest the last of his crop. It was fun.

Guess who we ran into? It was Josh who's no longer scum. He changed for the better and I can actually say that we're friends.

We went to the mall and tore it up. We went to go see 'Riding in Cars with Boys." It was a good movie; Drew Barrymore really nailed that role.

The Starry Island Gym Leader, Brandon and his Meganium caused most of my troubles. I lost my first important battle. Vanilla got whipped the first time through.

Then we all came up with a plan. The plan was to wear Meganium down and then strike his flower; the source of all his special attacks. Vanilla finished him off with a slam attack; she had wrapped her vines around his head and slammed him to the ground.

I feel so great! All those months of training and now I'm finally finished with the badge collecting. Now the important stuff is coming up and I want to make sure that we're prepared!

Well that's about all that has happened in the last few days. Let's get to the story!

****

The Actual Chapter

"I can see it!" I exclaim and jump up and down.

Coconut Island is getting closer every few minutes! I can see the palm trees dotting the shore. I can see the brown coconuts getting ready to be picked too.

"Calm down Rosie!" Rika says and clutches my shoulders to prevent me from jumping.

I've never seen you so happy before! Ellie says with a laugh.

I know what to do! Dew exclaims and wriggles out his pouch.

I stop jumping and look to see what he's going to do.

Dew stands right in front of me and sucks in a deep breath.

"No!" I scream but it's too late.

Dew sprays a ton of water at me and I get lifted off my feet and thrown into the cool ocean water.

I hit the water with a loud splash.

"Dew!" I scream.

"Rosie, we can't get you! You're going to have to swim to shore!" CJ says with a laugh.

I growl and start to breaststroke to the shore.

I forgot how cleansing this really is. The coolness of the water against my body feels so good but I know I'm going to have to take a shower to wash the brine off.

About ten minutes later I'm at the sure waiting for my friends to dock. 

I wring out my long red hair. Drops of water leave little dark spots on the tan sand.

Rosie! Ellie yells as she runs to jump on my shoulder with Dew cradled in her arms.

Ellie leaps on my shoulder so gracefully that I can barely feel her. 

"Dew that was great!" I say and throw him up into the air and catch him. He squeals in delight.

That was fun Mommy! He says.

CJ runs up and wraps a towel around me.

"How was the swim?" He asks.

"It was fine." I say as he holds me in his powerful arms.

"Aw... you guys look so cute together!" Rika teases.

I just smile.

"Come on!" I say and lead the way.

We walk to Main Street.

Main Street is where most of the businesses are. The Olympics take place in the huge stadium.

We walk down this street until we get to Coral Avenue, the road where my house is located.

My heart is beating like a jackhammer and it seems to take forever just to walk down the street.

Once we're there we stare at the house in awe.

The house is made of brick in the front with arches made of marble. There is a front porch with a few lawn chairs and lavender colored shade over it. 

In front of the house are white flowers sprouting out of the flowerbed. The grass in neatly cut and is an emerald color.

We walk up to the white door with an elegant door handle and I ring the buzzer.

A few seconds later the door opens and I am looking at a cute little Totodile with a grayish blue color.

"Darwin, what are you doing out of storage?" I ask in a surprised tone.

I haven't seen Darwin in years! 

Rosie! He exclaims and leaps into my arms. I hug him close.

Darwin is my mother's very first pokemon. He's over twenty years old! I guess pokemon live forever! Unless they get killed.

We slowly step foot on the shiny hardwood floors of the house and into the beautiful den. 

There are plush gray couches with white blankets on them. There's also a white area rug. The thirty inch TV is on it's wooden stand and all on the walls and shelves are little decorations and pictures. 

"This place is nice Rosie!" Rika and CJ say.

Where are my parents?

Next we go into our spacious kitchen. There's a flat top stove and marble counter that go around the entire kitchen. White curtains frame the windows and I can smell a fresh peach pie cooling in the window. My mom loves to bake. 

Then we walked into the dining room with our long oak table and comfy white carpet. There's the den at the far end towards the living room. There are also pictures all over the place.

We walk up the spiral staircase and up to the second floor. 

We walk down the white corridor and to the first room to the left. This is my parent's room and I peak into it.

There's a king sized sleigh bed that rests on a royal blue throw rug. On the bed is a blue and white checkered comforter with a brown teddy bear mounted on it. There are also a few dressers and lamps and a bench off to the corner, they have the largest room.

Next we check the guestroom that has a red comforter with tan sheets. There's no carpet but there are some cherry oak accessories and a touch lamp on a nightstand. It's a nice room.

Then we get to my room. My room is the best one in the whole house! There's lilac paint on the walls and lilac carpet. There's a queen-sized bed with a lavender comforter on it and white sheets and pillows. There's white furniture and on the wall are pictures of celebrities and me. My bathroom leads off my room and it has a shower curtain with multicolored clamshells.

"This is a nice room!" Rika says.

"Thank you!" I say.

We don't bother checking the bathrooms so they must be outside.

We walk down the stairs and open the door that leads to our marble walkway.

We walk along the path and to my mother's greenhouse where the nursery is. She's a florist and she's probably in there.

I slowly open the door and find my mother watering her plants with a can with Timid the Weepinbell by her side. What is it with her and her old pokemon?

"Hey Mrs. Fierra, do you happen to have any geraniums?" I ask with a smile.

My mom whips around and looks at all of us. Tears roll down her cheeks.

"Honey!" She cries as she runs up to us. We embrace each other for a very long time.

"You're finally home!" She exclaims.

I just hug her but the she breaks apart.

"Hey CJ! Who's this pretty flower?" She asks, she's referring to Rika.

"That's my newest friend, Rika." I say.

The two shake hands.

"Where's that cute little boy?" She asks.

"He had to go to school." 

Mom scoops up Ellie, Darwin, and Dew. She hugs them close.

"Dew sure did get bigger!" She says.

"Why are your old pokemon out?" I ask her.

"We needed some life in the house, but in four months there will be a ton of it." She says and pats her belly.

What the heck is she talking about?

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"I'm five months pregnant!" She says.

***

I feel a slight tapping on my face.

"Rosie!" CJ exclaims as he pats me on he face.

"What?" I ask groggily and rub my eyes.

"What happened?" I ask.

Everyone sighs in relief. My mother just smiles.

"I told you that I'm pregnant and you fainted!" She says.

What? 

I should have looked at her more carefully back on Passion Fruit Island. She looked fine then but now I can see a slight bulge in her belly.

"Well what is it?" Rika asks.

"Twins! There are two baby boys in here!" She says and points to her belly.

I slightly groan. 

I never thought this would have happened. I barely even thought that they still…you know…did it. It's so confusing and so fast! 

But a part of me is happy. I've always wanted little brothers! 

"I thought you always-wanted siblings Rosie!" Mom says.

"I do! It just surprised me that's all." I admit.

"Good! Your father should be in soon. Let's go into the house and have some pie!" She says and finishes off her geranium.

"Come on Timid!" She says.

Okay Rose! Says the shy pokemon. He slowly hops behind her.

***

"Yum! This is great Rose!" Rika exclaims as she finishes off the last piece of pie and the last dollop of vanilla ice cream.

"Thank you!" Mom replies and finishes hers off too.

CJ and I sit clutching our bellies. We had demolished the pie within thirty seconds of it being placed in front of us.

"My mom is the best baker!" I say and stand up from my chair.

Just then my father walks in from work. He's wearing a pair of gray slacks and a white dress shirt. He works at the Pokemon Trading Center stationed here on Coconut Island.

The Pokemon Trading Center is where trainers who want new pokemon go to trade with other pokemon trainers. Or they leave their pokemon there for a fee of ten dollars and choose the pokemon they wish to trade with. It's really popular but I don't want to let go any of my pokemon. I love them too much.

"Honey!" He exclaims and gives me a monstrous bear hug.

All the air is squeezed out of me and I turn slightly red in the cheeks. 

"Dad…" I gasp.

My dads finally let's go of me.

"You're finally here!" He says.

"Yeah, we just got here about an hour ago. How was work?" I ask him.

"Oh wait!" I say quickly. Then I introduce him to Rika.

"Work was great! I helped a young trainer from Kanto get a Forretress." He says.

We all nod.

"Let's catch up!"

***

I empty the contest of my pack onto my plush comforter.

I put the clothes into the dirty clothes bin and put the toiletries and other stuffs into a Sterlite plastic bin that slides under my bed.

I take off my socks and slip into my house shoes with the crescent moons on them.

Then I walk down the stairs to the den where all the others re watching the news.

"The Barbed Wires struck again! This time it was on Howard Ave. The gang mobbed a teenage couple and took their money and valuables. They also stole a pokemon, it happens to look like this!" The reporter says.

Hmm... The Barbed Wires must be a local gang.

A snapshot of a Pikachu with pink cheeks and a pink bow tied around her neck. It's a cute pokemon and there's no doubt that it's a female.

"This cutie goes by the name of Pinky so be on the lookout! The reward is at five hundred dollars!" He drones.

"Those little punks, they're always stealing pokemon! I hope someone puts an end to them!" Dad exclaims and clenches his fists. 

"They remind me of the old Barbed Wires from our day. They seem to follow the same pattern as the old gang." My mom suggests.

"It's wrong to steal pokemon!" CJ says.

I jus watch the whole thing. 

Then I look out the window. The sun has just slipped below the horizon and there are gold and red streaks that paint the sky.

"I want to go up to PK-Mart for some supplies for pokemon training." I say and get up.

"Take your keys!" My mother says and Darwin throws my silver keys at me. I catch them and slip them into my pockets.

"Oh, can I use the debit card?" I ask.

"Sure!" Dad says and hands me the shiny blue card.

"Thanks Dad! I'll be right back!" 

Then I slip on my sneakers and denim jacket.

After that I walk out the door and into the darkening outdoors. 

The streetlights are just starting to flicker on.

Wait up! Ellie yells and runs from the house and up to me.

Then she jumps onto my shoulder.

"It's not far from here!" I say and point at the huge center with blue and green paint. In huge white letters is the name of the store and I can see posters displaying what's on sale and what isn't.

Ellie and I hurry to get inside the store and once we do warm air engulfs us. I hate it when that happens!

I grab a green cart and put Ellie in the child's seat. We wheel our way down the aisles until we get to outdoor equipment.

I grab some rope, plastic balls, a saw, and a red leather bag. 

Then we walk to the fitness section and I get some ankle weights.

Everything else that I need for training is in a green coffer that's in the corner of my bedroom. There were mainly things that I use when I want to train for karate and stuff.

After everything is bought Ellie and I walk back outside into the cool weather.

We walk in silence until I hear a loud bark.

I stop dead in my tracks.

"Ellie! Someone's following us!" I whisper.

I can feel Ellie tense up at my words.

Then a crowd of about ten boys in leather circle around Ellie and I. They must be the Barbed Wires!

"A piece of fresh meat and another pokemon! Let's get her!" The leader snickers. 

Then the boys start to edge closer to us.

I put down my bags.

"You guys must be the Barbed Wires! Well guess what?" I ask coolly.

"What?" The leader replies.

"This is your end!" I threaten.

I tap Artemis's ball and summon her out of there.

"Shoot them with you gentle shafts!" I direct her. She nods and flies into the air.

Ellie leaps off my shoulder and squares off with a Houndour.

An evil glint flashes through the leaders eyes and he rushes at me.

He catches me in the jaw with a hard fist but I quickly counter attack it with a punch straight to the nose.

He hops back and clutches his bleeding nose.

I wipe the blood away from my mouth.

"You bitch!" He yells.

"Help!" I scream at the top of my lungs. Hopefully a nosy neighbor will call the police.

He grabs me by the shirt and throws me to the ground.

This dude is stronger than I expected!

I use my leg to spin on the ground and kick him in the shin. He falls to the ground I rush up on him. 

I sit on his chest and punch him in the face two times leaving him with a busted lip and a black eye.

"You picked the wrong girl to mess with today! Give me your pokemon!" I yell.

Then I look out of the corner of my eye.

Artemis fell the gang members with her arrows and they lay there clutching themselves in pain.

Ellie leaps into the air and slams into Houndour's jaw with her clenched fist. The dog barks in pain. 

I turn back around I get kicked off the leader's stomach. I land in the ground with a brush burn on my cheek. I scream.

The leader, let's call him Jack gets on top of me and starts to rip my shirt.

I quickly use my legs and warp them around his neck. Then I slam him to the ground and get up.

Someone grabs me from behind and ties my hands up. 

Then Jack climbs to his feet and rushes at me with his fist forward. 

A flash of purple knocks him off his feet and I feel the strength drain out of the person who had restrained me.

Ellie and Artemis saved me! 

A flash of blue and red lights cover us. 

We look at the cars arriving and the police handcuffing the criminals and taking the pokemon away from them.

A woman in a black leather jacket rushes up to me and wraps me with a fluffy blanket.

"Everything is going to be fine!" She says.

***

"What a way for your first day here to end." Dad says with a chuckle.

"Yeah." I say and look at the television screen.

I'm in the Cocoa Hospital getting a few stitches and such here and there. The police arrested the gang and all the pokemon were taken to the Pokemon Center.

"Hooray! The Barbed Wires are finally out of commission! The police have found their headquarters and has arrested every single person involved. All the stolen pokemon have been sent to the pokemon center and we urge victims to go there as soon as possible. Nikki Kong, News 7 signing off." The reporter says.

A sigh of relief blows through my moist lips.

"Those bastards are finally busted!" My dad says with a smile.

CJ runs his fingers through my hair.

"I'll stay here with you." He says.

"Okay." I reply.

A few minutes later everyone stands up and puts on their jackets.

"We'll see you in the morning!" Mom says.

"Goodbye everyone." I say with a wave. They wave back and walk out the door.

"I'm glad that you screamed for help." CJ says.

Nikki pops back up on the TV screen.

"Tomorrow we'll visit the courageous young woman who defeated the gang. She will be rewarded and she will get a badge." She says.

"Wow!" I exclaim.

"That's great!" CJ says.

Ellie jumps up and down.

Dew was back at the house being watched by Darwin. Darwin really took a liking to him and had been around him ever since dinner.

CJ leans over and gives me a kiss on the lips.

I blush, like always.

It's amazing how even though your face might be bad to look at temporarily, the ones who love you don't care and kiss you anyways.

***

"Group photo!" Nikki exclaims and everyone crowds around the hospital bed and we take a picture.

"This is Nikki Kong, live here with Rosie Fierra! The interview is starting now!" She says.

"Rosie, where were you coming from when you got attacked?" Nikki asks.

I look into the camera and smile.

"I was on my way home from the PK-Mart near my house. I had just purchased some training things so I can start training my pokemon for the Flower League Championships." I tell her. This kind of came easy to me; I'm a great public speaker.

"What did you do when they encircled you?" She asks.

"I dropped my bags and told them that this was there end. Then I tossed out my friend Artemis, a Gligar. I had her use her arrows on the men. Ellie, my first pokemon attacked the Houndour and I took on the leader."

"Where did you learn to fight?" She asks.

"I've been studying karate for the past few years and I have a brown belt with black tips."

"That's interesting. How did your Aipom take care of such a strong pokemon?" 

"Ellie here is a strong pokemon. I teach her some of the moves that I have learned while taking karate. She has a good blend of fighting type moves." I say.

Nikki smiles.

"Then you must be a great trainer, are you not?" 

"I'm a decent trainer. My pokemon are the great ones. I can be beat and so can they. That's why I try not to take losing so seriously. Losing is a huge part of winning." I say.

An impressed expression paints Nikki's face.

"Wow, you're wise beyond your years, I'm sure that you'll prevail in the Championships."

"I'll try my best and I'm pretty sure that my pokemon will also. We're a team and as long as we have faith in each other's abilities, we should fair pretty well." I say.

"Thank you for your time. We hop to see you soon. Here is your check for five hundred dollars and an honorary plaque on behalf on News 7!" She says and hands me over a huge check and a golden plaque with my name engraved on it.

"Thank you." I say.

"What do you plan on spending this money on?" She asks. 

"I'm going to make a bank account and I'm putting this in it!" 

***

"Welcome to First Eevee Bank, how may I help you?" The clerk asks.

"I would like to open a bank account here." I say and pull out the application and forms.

First Eevee Bank is a world acclaimed bank. There are separate branches throughout the world and they are said to be the most reliable.

"How much are you going to deposit?" 

"Five hundred dollars!" I say and hand her over the check.

"Pick a design for your checks and debit card." She says and hands me a tablet with all sorts of designs on them.

I take the tablet and Ellie and I walk to a brown chair with a metal back on it. I sit down on the hard chair and scan the pictures.

"How do you like this one Ellie?" I ask and point to an Azumarril and an Aipom holding hands on a beach with starfish and clams strewn across the sand. Water is lapping up against the waves and you can see the white foam at the water's edge. It's truly beautiful.

I like it! She exclaims.

Then I choose and cobalt blue debit card with platinum letters and such. 

We get up and walk back to the desk and hand the clerk my sheets.

She goes in the back to a large computer. Types in a few things and clicks on some designs. Then the debit card is ejected out of a slot on the desk and three books of checks are brought up from the printing chamber.

"Thank you!" I say and take my leather check case and put my debit card into a leather wallet.

***

"I heard about what you did great job Rosie!" Professor Palmetto says.

"Thank you but I just had to. I have a request." I say and look her in the eyes.

"What is it?"

"I need all of my pokemon. The training schedule that we're doing is going to take all of them." I say.

"Crimson, Sunrise, and Sparky are coming up!" She says and places the Crystal Balls on the transporting dock.

Then the balls materialize at the slots at the pokemon center.

"Thank you!" I say and we hang up.

"This is going to be tough, but we're coming out on top!" 


	2. Facing Those Fears and a New Job

Training Days: Facing Those Fears and a First Job

Written By: Sapphire Mists

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hello fellow fanfiction readers! Sapphire Mists is here and is ready to entertain you with my writing. But first, I want to make a few things clear.

1). I do not own pokemon. However, I do own Rosie and other characters who don't normally appear in the original storyline. I also own her pokemon names and personalities.

2). If you would like to use the characters and/or their pokemon, you must have my permission.

3). If you haven't read the other parts to this wonderful storyline, please do so!

4). As always, REVIEW THE FANFICS! PLEASE!

Here are a few things that you should also know.

__

Italics: Someone's thoughts

****

Bold: The other pokemon's thoughts

...: Translated pokemon speech

*!*: A battle sequence, if there are more than one, more battles are taking place

***: A break in the page

:...:: Inside the Crystal Ball 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Prologue

Hey guys! What's up?

I'm doing great now that my wounds are practically healed.

It's been a strange week.

My on the road family and I arrived on Coconut Island. 

I was so glad to be home and Dew played a little trick on me. It was quite clever. He had sprayed me with a water gun and that forced me into the cold water. I had to swim all the way to shore.

Once we got to our beautiful house on Coral Road I gave my friends a tour while looking for my parents.

They really thought that the house was beautiful, I do too.

To my surprise Darwin, my Mom's first pokemon ever was out his pokeball and roaming around the house. I gave him a big hug; I hadn't seen him in years!

Then we went to the greenhouse where my mom raises the flowers. She was there watering her geraniums with hey shy Weepinbell, Timid. 

She told me some shocking news. She announced that she was five months pregnant. I fainted once and was on the verge of fainting again at one point. Everything was just happening so fast!

So we went into the house and helped ourselves to some ice cream and pie. It was excellent of course; Mom's an excellent baker.

Soon Dad came home and we caught up on a few things.

We watched news together and my friends and I heard of the notorious gang called the Barbed Wires. 

Much to my surprise, on my way home with my training supplies they attacked me.

I sent out Artemis and she shot them down with her gentle shafts, also known as arrows. For some odd reason The Odyssey written by Homer is in my head, he uses that to describe Artemis's arrows. Artemis is the goddess of the moon and the hunt so I named my Gligar that naturally because she even has a crescent moon on her forehead! (AN: I, Sapphire Mists, have just finished reading that book in Literature! I like Greek Mythology!)

Ellie laid the smack down on a Houndour with a bad attitude. 

I, however, had to take on the leader. He was tough and got in a few good hits. But I took care of him until someone grabbed me from behind. Artemis shot down the cheater and Ellie punched out the leader.

I ended up in the hospital for treatment of my wounds. 

While I was in the hospital Nikki Kong, the reporter for News 7 interviewed me. I answered to her questions with such expertise that it shocked even her.

I received the five hundred-dollar check for helping discover the whereabouts of the gang and an honorary plaque that I put up on my wall.

I also opened a bank account and took out every single pokemon that I owned.

This is where the last story ended, now let's get on with this story!

****

The Actual Chapter

"That's it Dew! Keep it coming!" I urge him as I stand by the lake in our backyard.

Dew is there on the ground trying to blast me away with his water gun attack. 

I think that it is kind of weak so that's why we're practicing it. 

Dew is starting to turn red in the cheek area.

I know that he's giving it his all, that look of determination on his face gives away everything.

I stand there with my bathing suit on, crossing my arms. The water is really starting to hurt and sting my skin but I just keep on.

With a huge breath Dew releases a large beam of water at me. I brace myself and put all my weight down but the water knocks me off my feet and I skid across the mud that had formed due to the constant water.

I get up.

"Good job, do that every time you use your water gun attack." I tell him.

Okay Mommy. He agrees and stands there with a cute smile on his face.

I decide that I should test his reflexes.

"Think fast!" I say quickly and kick at him. I stop an inch in front of his face.

His eyes are tightly shut.

Darn! I'm going to have to work on that with him! 

"Dew, we're going to work on your reflexes, you can't just have good offense, and you need defense also." I tell him.

Ok. He says with an eager look in his eyes.

"Let's have lunch first." I say and we walk back into the house.

All of my pokemon are out of their pokeballs. Lizzie is in the kitchen with Mom. Ellie is conversing with Vanilla. Crimson and Sparky are taking naps. Artemis is outside flying around the island. Sunrise is lifting up a vase with his mental powers and Blade is reading a book.

Blade looks up at me when he sees us.

Rosie, this was a great book and I want you to call me Excalibur from now on. I liked the role it played and I want to be known as that! He says with a grin.

My pokemon sure are becoming very individualistic. That's good I want them to come up with there own names!

"I will from now on." I say with a grin and walk into the kitchen.

"Hey Rosie, how did the training go?" Mom asks while she fixes a salad. 

"It was fine; we need to work on our defense." I tell her.

Mom places the bowls with the pokemon's names on them on the ground near the corner.

"Lunch time!" She exclaims and the pokemon rush in and eat their salads.

"Here Rosie, it has your favorite dressing on it!" Mom says as she hands me a salad with Italian dressing on the top.

We're all on a diet and we're eating nutritious foods to help stay in shape. 

I have a schedule that we follow every day!

At about seven o' clock we wake up and put on our running gear. Then we take a jog along mountain that's a mile away from our house. After that I take a shower and do some individual training with the pokemon. Then we just kind of blow off the day until six in the evening and then I do some more training. It works out perfectly!

Rika and CJ descend down the stairs and they sit at the table with us to eat.

I wipe the sweat off my head with the towel that had been covering me since I finished training.

"Did Dew improve on his special attacks?" CJ asks.

"Yeah he did pretty well as you can see." I say and point to my damp body.

"That's good. You've been really serious about this Rosie; I have to get used to it huh?" She asks.

"Yeah, we have to train. All of us! We all must be in tip-top shape. Not just the pokemon, it would be unfair!" I explain.

Everyone nods in approval, even the pokemon agree.

I take the silver fork and spear some lettuce and tomato oozing with dressing. I take a bite and the next thing I know I'm finished with the entire dish and I've downed the orange juice that Mom had poured earlier.

Mom decides to change the subject.

"I know that you're kind of busy but I saw something very interesting while I was out at the market with Darwin." Mom begins.

"What is it?" We all asked.

"I saw some job openings at the Pokemon Daycare Center on the other side of town. I wanted you all to apply there to get some extra money, plus it'll be good experience." Mom suggests.

"That's a great idea!" CJ and Rika exclaim.

"Mom! What about my training?" I ask.

"What about it? An important part of training is knowing when to have fun and when to decide to take a break." Mom says quickly.

Maybe she's right.

"OK, I'll do it." I agree.

"Well you should put something presentable on and hurry there." Mom says as she collects our plates.

I get up from the chair and run up the stairs into my room.

Rika gets there a minute later and walks to her backpack. She takes out a khaki skirt and a white blouse.

I follow her example and walk to my closet and I pull out some chinos and a white blouse with 3/4 sleeves. I figured it to look casual so I pressed over it with a steam iron and laid it onto my bed.

I go into the bathroom and take a quick shower to cleanse myself from the dirt that had been on me since training. 

After that's done I walk back into my room with my towel wrapped around my body. 

Rika is in the mirror, already dressed, and touching up her hair and lip-gloss. She's such a quick dresser!

I put on my underwear and then my clothes.

What am I going to do with my hair? I guess that straight will look nice with the outfit.

So I walk to my mirror and comb my damp hair until it falls perfectly on my shoulders. Uh-oh! It's past my shoulders again! Screw it, I'm not cutting it again!

"You look nice." Rika says as she slings a tan purse over her shoulder.

"Thank you Rika, you look nice too." I say.

We giggle and walk downstairs to the living room where Mom and CJ are waiting.

CJ's wearing an outfit just like ours. His blonde hair is slicked back and I have to admit. He looks hot with his hair slicked back; it kind of reminds me of the way Pierce Brosnan looks on Golden-eye. 

"You all look...coordinated." Mom gets out.

I just smile and the others follow suit. I just want to get this over with and come back home.

"Bye!" She tells us as we walk out the door.

We just wave to her and the pokemon.

***

"Hello, I'm Eliza! Are you all here for the job openings?" A young woman with long green hair asks.

Hey!

She's not all dressed up. All she's wearing is a pear of blue jeans and a white t-shirt. All that we've done was for nothing!

"Yes we are." CJ says.

She gives us a once over with an inquisitive green eye and places her hand in front of her.

"You're hired!" She exclaims.

A smile creeps up to my face. She hired us on the spot! 

"We're hired, aren't you going to interview us?" Rika asks with a bewildered look on her face.

"Not at all. A sweet woman with a Totodile told me all about you. I just wanted to see what type of people you were." She says with a grin.

I practically fall to the ground from her cheerfulness. 

That mother of mine! She's so spontaneous!

"Is it possible for you to start at noon tomorrow?" She asks.

"Sure!" I say.

This job stuff is easier than I thought!

***

"Keep it going Darwin!" Mom yells as Darwin gives his all in a water gun battle with Dew.

Dew is holding his own out there to my surprise. One would think that he wouldn't be able to keep up with an experienced water pokemon. 

Darwin keeps the water coming though. His water is much more coiled shaped than Dew's is. I guess that it has to do with his species. I wonder why Darwin hasn't evolved; maybe he just doesn't want to.

"Great job Dew! Let's switch things up, jump in the air!" I say with a smirk on my face.

Dew leaps into the air and sprays the water at an angle at Darwin. It hits him dead-on and he slides across the ground.

"Good idea! Darwin slash that baby!" Mom exclaims.

Darwin leaps at Dew with his sharp claws and slashes at him. Dew leaps from side to side but Darwin is right along with him. I've never seen them two move so fast. I'm shocked.

"Great Dew, use the skull bash attack!" I tell him.

"Do the same thing!" Mom says. 

The pokemon butt heads and are forced back from the blow. They collapse to the ground in a heap but get right back up.

"That's enough for Dew today." Mom says.

I nod my approval and Dew jumps into my arms at the same time that Darwin embraces my mother.

"Good job old friend." She whispers and gives him a peck on the cheek.

"That was excellent Dew, I never knew that you were so fast!" I exclaim and hug him close.

Thanks Mommy. I'm proud of myself. He says as he hugs me.

"Why don't you go get our water bottles?" I ask Dew.

He immediately bounces on his tail to the kitchen and gets our bottles from the kitchen table. 

He bounces back to me and sprays the bottle into my hand with his water gun attack.

I like the way that he isn't as dependent on me now that we've started training. I also like the way that he obeys my commands, it's sweet and yet he still loves me nonetheless.

"Thanks babe." I say and take a swig from the plastic bottle of Evian water.

I'll go get Sunrise now. He volunteers and he hops back into the house.

"That's so sweet, he' so loyal to you Rosie. That shows that you're a great trainer as well as a great mother." Mom says.

"Thanks, I guess." 

I'm not sure how to take it. I mean, I'm not pregnant because I've never done anything in that field even though I'm dating a hot guy. Yeah, I'm a virgin and proud of it.

I know! She means that I have the potential!

The snow white Espeon of mines trots over.

Hey Rosie, are you ready? He asks.

"Of course!" I say and beckon to Mom.

We walk about twenty meters away and pick up the pack of stones. We're testing the power of his psychic powers.

"Go!" I say.

Mom and I hurl the stones at Sunrise. His eyes glow a golden color and he stops the rocks just before they hit him.

"Now!" I say and he lifts the stones into the air and sends them back at us. 

Mom and I leap out the way before the hard minerals hit us. 

"Great job!" I say.

He nods in approval.

"Teleporting is next." I say and run up to him.

"While I run from place to place I want you to teleport there. It will be confusing but you'll catch on, you always do." I explain.

We've been doing these maneuvers for a while now and he seems to get better and better.

I shake my head and run diagonally. 

Sunrise appears right before my eyes so I switch directions and leap into the lake. 

He appears in the water with a grin on his face and he lifts me out the water with his mental powers. Then he tosses me back in.

I climb out and jump onto a large stone.

As expected he's there too. I jump from rock to rock in the field of rocks that we had assembled. "We" being my family, friends, and pokemon. 

I pant softly as he materializes everywhere that I go.

I stop at the last rock while standing on my left leg.

"You've mastered it!" I exclaim and hug his neck.

It was nothing. He says nonchalantly. 

I give him a noogie on his head near the multi-colored crystal on his head. I can his booming laugh in my head and I just laugh. Understanding pokemon is one of the best things that someone has ever given me.

"OK, we better get to the physical attacks now." I say.

All right. He agrees as he teleports to the rock farthest from the last rock.

"Quick attack, now!" I exclaim.

He leaps from rock to rock as he approaches me.

I block myself from the upcoming attack. 

He then teleports a few feet away from me and strikes head on with his skull.

I fall of the rock from the blow and land on the ground with a thump.

"That was pretty good, what was his time mother?" I ask.

"That was fifteen seconds Honey." She says. 

Mom had been standing a close distance away timing the whole thing. She's one of my main-training buddies, actually she is my partner. She agreed on it saying that it would be better if she did it because she had been a pokemon trainer and in the Championships once before.

It wasn't the Flower League Championships, of course. Considering that it was just re-opened a few years ago.

"Let's try to get it down to seven seconds." I say.

Sunrise readily retires to his stone and waits for my command.

"Now!" I say and brace myself even faster.

Sunrise looks like a white blur as he moves and when he strikes me I forget what he was.

I get lifted off my feet and knocked to the ground.

That hurts! I wince from the pain. Then, I look at my Mom with watery eyes.

I wipe my tears away and ask for the time.

"That was four point eight seconds!" She exclaims.

"Great!" I yell and hug my wonderful pokemon.

"Okay we're going to do one more attack and then we'll quit for the day." I tell him.

Okay. He replies as he teleports back to his place on the rock.

"Future sight!" I yell and his eyes grow a golden color. 

I begin to hop from rock to rock so that I can get to the edge of the water as quickly as possible.

I look back and see the sparkling green orb of energy. 

I leap into the air. The orb hits me in the back and I get blasted all the way to the other side of the lake. I curl into a ball and land on the ground very hard but luckily I'm not that hurt.

"Excellent! Come on in!" I say.

Sunrise teleports to Mom, wraps hit forked tail around her and materialize into the kitchen.

Dad greets me with a warm towel and I dry myself off and walk into the kitchen.

Sunrise's eyes glow once more and all the water is lifted from his fur and held in a large airborne puddle above his head.

With a smile he flings it into the sink.

Mom and I smile in amazement.

Dad, Rika, and CJ walk in with smiles on their faces.

"We watched and recorded the whole thing!" They say happily and show us the whole session on tape.

I just smile.

Then we all go to our rooms for the night for it was late.

I take a long hot bath that soothed all the tensions away. That eucalyptus bath wash is really good, I'll be sure to stay stocked up on it. 

After the bath, I slip into a white, sleeveless nightgown with lace at the hem of it. My mom had bought it for me a few years ago. I really like the way it looks on me.

When I walk out the bathroom Rika is already in bed reading a novel called The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. That happened to be from our large library downstairs in the den.

"I'm going to go check on CJ." I say with a wink.

"Ooh, someone's being a naught girl in her slinky nightgown!" Rika kids.

"Shut up! It's not slinky." I say jokingly and walk near the guestroom.

I peek around the corner at CJ in blue plaid pajama bottoms and a wife beater on. 

I saunter up to him and wrap my arms around his waist.

He smiles and returns the hug with his strong, brawny arms.

"You've been giving it all out there." He says.

I just smile and look into his eyes.

"Do you think that you're overdoing it?" He asks full of concern.

"Of course not." I say and snuggle into his arms.

"Whatever you say." He says and climbs into the bed.

I scoot up on top of him and rest my shin on his chest.

"We haven't kissed in a long time." I say in a moping voice as I twirl my hair around my finger.

This always makes him submit.

He flips over and now I'm on the bottom and he's on top of me. I giggle at this movement.

We kiss each other passionately for a few minutes but it felt like it was for hours. He's a great kisser.

I suddenly stop and pull away.

"We'll continue tomorrow." I say seductively.

A scorned look appears on his face but I know it's all a gimmick. It's soon replaced by an eager smile.

"I'll be waiting." He says in a deep voice. 

With a wave I sneak out of his room and run smack into my Dad.

Oops!

***

Excalibur and Lizzie clutch each other's limbs and try to force each other to the ground.

This is what I like to call a Pokemon Wrestling Match! I choose these two because they are equally matched up, well, almost. They're sparring partners.

"You can do it!" Rika, CJ, and I cheer on for both the pokemon.

Excalibur does something very clever and hovers into the air, then he slams Lizzie to the ground.

Lizzie gets up as she clutches her back.

Excalibur admires his work and fails to notice the clutched fist that decks him right in the jaw. He skids across the ground and touches his face.

Lizzie hurries and whacks him with her massive tail. He falls to the ground yet again; no doubt he was overwhelmed at the power of this _femme fatale._

"Excalibur! Always keep your eye on the opponent, for you can always get tricked." I explain.

He nods in approval.

I won't make the same mistake, friend. He says.

"As for you Lizzie, great job." I say with a smile and walk over to her.

This was a long match. They were at a stalemate for a half-hour.

"Hey Lizzie. I want you to put all your weight down so he can't lift you into the air." I whisper. 

Right. She replies.

After the advice was given I walk up to my companions.

"Let's go to the daycare center!" I say.

***

"Okay. Rika, I need you to fill up the food dishes." She says.

Rika sets off to do her job as told.

Eliza had just given us a tour of the whole facility.

It included the main building with a desk, office room, bathroom facilities, and a storage room at the end.

The outside, however, is the best feature. There is at least an acre of green grass and there is a large mountain full of trees and lakes. In the pasture are jungle gyms and all those fun things that we as children enjoyed ourselves.

"We're going to groom the pokemon!" She says enthusiastically.

We run to the middle of the pasture and Eliza pulls out a shiny golden whistle and gives it a loud shrill.

A herd of pokemon of all types floods from the mountains and to us. There were Mankey. Gloom, Pikachu, Pichu, Cleffa, Girafarig, Mr. Mime, and Staryu.

"Wow." I exclaim and look at the variety of pokemon.

Then we take a pail full of soapy water, a brush, a washcloth, and some polish. 

Rika hurries back with the container of pokemon food that satisfies each pokemon's needs.

She lays it out accordingly and joins us in the grooming by taking on the Girafarig.

I begin to scrub the golden Staryu with a soft washcloth.

Ooh, that feels good. He sighs.

"Thank you Staryu." I say as I rinse him off.

Then I garb the jewelry polish and buffer that ruby until it sparkles.

I feel much better! He says and hovers into the air. 

I smile and move onto the Pikachu.

I accidentally bump into it's cheeks and he releases a bolt of thunder on me. I scream in terror at the shocking experience.

"What was that for?" I ask quickly.

I'm sensitive in that area! She whines.

I just shake my head; I guess that pokemon act just like humans do. There are even snobs like this Pikachu who shocked me for touching her cheek. What the hell was that?

After I groom her along with many other pokemon we get into the dancing program where there is like a freestyle. I even join in and we all dance to the Pokemon song that was played by Rudy back on Trovita Island to train his pokemon. 

After that there is a story time when we each read a fairy tale to a group of pokemon.

I learned so much about them, more than I could think of. All those individual habits, they take a toll on you.

By the end of the day, we didn't want to leave.

***

"Special attack!" I say.

Sparky and Crimson unleash their special attacks on each other but they dodge them cleverly. Crimson unleashed a flamethrower and Sparky unleashed a thunderbolt.

We're doing reflexes. I call out "special" or "physical" attack and they have to do so on hearing me say it. 

"Normal!" I holler.

The pair leap into the air and ram heads, sending them both to the rocks.

"Special!" I say.

Crimson spits out an ember attack at Sparky's feet but he was too late. For Sparky was in the air and he rammed into him with a thunder punch attack that made Crimson squeal in pain.

"Enough!" I say.

The tired pair walks over to me.

"That was excellent you two." I say.

"Ellie and Vanilla! You're up!" I say and we walk into an open area.

"Attack me!" I say once they are assembled.

Vanilla trips me with a vine and a fall to the ground. But I land in such a way that I was able to handspring back onto my feet.

That was a good move.

Ellie soars at me with her leg extended. I leap back and grab her leg. I swing her around in an arc and she is sent flying. 

I smile at my ability.

Vanilla charges me and I skid across the ground. She really did put some weight into that tackle! My body aches in pain from the blow.

I rise from the blow. 

A smile spreads across Vanilla's face as she whips her green vines on my arms. I wince from the pain and she wraps the vines around my arms.

She twirls the lush green leaf around and sends three sharp leaves at my head. I escape the blow by ducking.

An idea comes into my head and I run straight at Vanilla.

A look of confusion shows on her face.

I slide between her legs and leap up from the ground. Now I'm behind her back and she can't see me but her vines are still wrapped around my arms.

I grip my hands around the vines and with a mighty heave, I pull the vines.

Vanilla gets flipped onto her back and kicks incessantly at nothing.

I really confused her.

I smile at my maneuver.

But what I didn't see was the cobalt blur that happened to be Ellie in scrunched up like she was a missile with her fist in front of her.

The blow makes me double over in pain, a pain that I had never felt before but I keep the tears from flowing. Enough of this crying mess; I'm too old for it.

I get up from the ground and get into a karate stance as if nothing had happened.

I had faced one of my biggest fears that had plagued me since I became a pokemon trainer. I was always afraid of being hurt by my pokemon. But I have that unbreakable trust with them now. The type of trust that nobody or nothing can break.

"Good." I say...


	3. Christmastime Surprises

Training Days: Christmastime Surprises

Written By: Sapphire Mists

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Hello fellow fanfiction readers! Sapphire Mists is here and is ready to entertain you with my writing. But first, I want to make a few things clear.

1). I do not own pokemon. However, I do own Rosie and other characters who don't normally appear in the original storyline. I also own her pokemon names and personalities.

2). If you would like to use the characters and/or their pokemon, you must have my permission.

3). If you haven't read the other parts to this wonderful storyline, please do so!

4). As always, REVIEW THE FANFICS! PLEASE!

Here are a few things that you should also know.

__

Italics: Someone's thoughts

****

Bold: The other pokemon's thoughts

...: Translated pokemon speech

*!*: A battle sequence, if there are more than one, more battles are taking place

***: A break in the page

:...:: Inside the Crystal Ball 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

****

Prologue

Hey, everyone.

It's me again.

Last time when I was with you a lot of different things happened.

First of all, I had begun training seriously for the Championships. It was hard training for all of us, especially for me. You would think it was hard too if you have to take a skull bash from a powerful Espeon.

All of the pokemon have improved drastically, especially Dew. At first he was a cute, cuddly baby. Not saying that he still isn't cute but he seems to have grown a little and he has a tough look to himself. I like it.

Sunrise's psychic powers are beyond belief. He's so much more at ease when he uses them now that it comes naturally. The most memorable attack that he did on me was the future sight attack that blasted me across the lake. In a weird way, that was kind of fun!

Crimson and Sparky have been sparring to their heart's content. They are so much more agile and the strength of their attacks is improving day by day. The weights that I use on them as well as the other pokemon are really doing there job.

Lizzie and Excalibur are becoming equals now. They are equally matched when they spar with each other and the length of the matches are supremely long. Sometimes I spar with them individually and I have the bruises to prove it. 

Artemis is starting to become a rocket in the air. I can't even decipher how fast she flies when she's in a dive. I think that it must be at least fifty miles per hour when she's going her fastest, even when she has weight's on. Of course she was slow when I first put them on her but now it's as if the weights are a part of her.

I've been using Vanilla's special attacks a lot lately. The razor leaves are very sharp and her strength is astonishing. Her reflect attack are much better than they used to be and she's getting fast for her size.

Ellie and I have sparring matches every other day. Her karate skills are improving and she even beats me most of the time. But every time we spar we both get stronger and it's really hard to beat each other nowadays.

All in all, this is the progress of my pokemon since we started training.

Besides the training, Rika, CJ, and I have taken on a part time job at the Pokemon Daycare Center. We work afternoons and we learn about our pokemon more each day. I love that job and the pay is good too but it goes deeper than that. I could care less for the money. But so far I have about one thousand dollars saved up in my bank account.

My whole family is getting closer. CJ and Rika are practically family now. CJ and I are together a lot more but not in that way. Rika and I are best friends. Mom and I have an even stronger relationship as does Dad and I.

Life itself is great and now, with only a week left of training, it's getting even better!

****

The Actual Chapter

"Br..." I utter as the pokemon and I sit on a warm blanket in the blistering cold.

It was in the day before Christmas and it was freezing! Well almost because it never really goes below twenty degrees in the Flower Archipelago. But since we're in the Outer Islands, the weather is much colder.

All the pokemon shuddered as I did. The only pokemon that seemed halfway decent was Crimson, my Vulpix. I guess it's because of that internal fire that's inside his body. I wish that I had one of those right about now.

The pokemon that was doing the worse had to be Excalibur because his metallic skin absorbed the coolness and kept it locked inside. 

We had been outside doing our endurance training for about an hour now. We had been doing this training ever since the first snowflake and that had been back towards the first of December.

We were off for the season, for this is the time of year when everyone wants to be with his or her pokemon and family. 

"The soup's done!" Mother yells as she waves for us to come back in.

We get up from our sitting space and run into the house as fast as we can.

The warmth hits us and I feel as if I could melt. 

Ah! It's so refreshing.

We all walk to the dining room area, the place where we ate all of our meals, mostly our dinners. 

Today we had chicken noodle soup and crusty French bread for dinner. It smelled great and I can't wait to dive in.

"It's Christmas Eve everyone!" Dad says.

"Yeah, I have to do some last minute shopping." Rika admits.

"Ditto!" CJ and I reply at the same time. We look at each other and smile. 

It's surprising how we had been going together for a while and yet he still makes me have butterflies in my stomach. I really care for CJ, I hope that we never break up!

"How predictable?" Mom exclaims with a laugh as he takes a bite from her bread.

I follow suit and soak my bread in the chicken broth, and then I take a hunk out of it.

The pokemon do so too.

The soup really does warm the body as well as the soul. Just like they say on the commercial! 

After dinner is done my pals and I put on our winter coats and other garments like scarves. 

I grab a baby snowsuit for Ellie and got her dressed in it.

"I can borrow the car, right Dad?" I ask.

"Of course but be careful!" He replies.

I blow him a kiss and grab the golden key set from our key rack that's next to the door.

We walk out the door and across our lawn to the family car. It's a navy blue Taurus that's only about two years old.

I'm so glad that I can drive it.

"Shotgun!" Rika exclaims as she dives into the front seat of the car.

"Awe man!" CJ says and climbs into the back with Ellie. 

I brush the car off with the window wiper and climb into the driver's seat. I adjust the mirror and turn the car on to start the heat. It was freezing in there! 

After a few minutes it warms up and I switch the gear to drive. 

We pull off and drive down the well-lit Coral Road. There are lights everywhere and there are even lights on or house. CJ and dad had strung the up a few weeks ago.

Rika turns the radio onto Kiss 88.5 and we listen to TLC's Sleigh Ride song. It really puts us in the Christmas spirit and we all sing along merrily. 

Main Street has to be the most beautiful street of all! There are beautiful white lights all in the trees and building. They're everywhere! There are also cute figurines of pokemon, especially Stantler. 

Out of the corner of my eye I look at Ellie. Her eyes are actually twinkling, she looks so happy now. She's been acting so joyful for the past few days; actually it was after we saw Rudolph the red-nosed Stantler. She fell in love with it!

The Cocoa Mall is just about a mile down Main Street so it doesn't take that long to get there.

I can see tiny little kids having snow wars on the sidewalk. How I long to do that again. A few of the little kids even pelt the car with a few snowballs. I don't mind though because I used to do that all the time.

Tomorrow, we're all invited to a Christmas Party at Joseph's house. Joseph used to accompany my Dad and Mom on there pokemon adventures. He himself was a bug pokemon trainer. 

Oh I forget to mention! My Dad used to be a pokemon collector! Yeah, he used to have all sorts of pokemon but he set them free to live in the wild again. That's when he started working at the Pokemon Training Co. He knew how it felt to get new pokemon in exchange for another so that's why he went into that profession to make kids happy.

I make a left turn into the spacious parking lot that happens to be covered with a thin film of snow. For some reason it always snowed less near the harbor. 

I quickly find a parking space near the front of the mall and park. Then I turn the car off and get out the ca to recollect Ellie so she can get on my shoulder. It just feels empty when she isn't there or maybe it's just me. I think that it's just me!

CJ and Rika climb out and we all start walking to the huge Cocoa Mall, which happens to be the largest of the of all in The Flower Archipelago! I love coming here when I'm home from school. You can find anything and everything there.

CJ opens the glass doors with a sleigh on them for all of us to go through. I give him a smile and then we walk through together.

He's such a gentleman!

The mall smells like cookies. Sugar cookies in particular. They're most likely coming from Yum-Yum; the biggest chain of candy stores throughout the world! Everyone loves their sugar cookies around this time of year and I mean everyone! Every house that I go to around Christmastime has these cookies on a decorative platter.

"Okay." I begin as we stop in the middle of this huge mall.

"Let's branch off and meet here in about an hour, OK?" I ask everyone.

"Fine." They reply.

Rika goes up the elevator and CJ turns and goes back towards the entrance.

"Come on Ellie." I say with a giggle and we set off on our little mini-expedition to find the perfect gifts.

A place called the Scentsation catches my eye.

"Let's go in there Ellie!" I say and point to the store.

OK. She replies and we walk into the fragrant candle store. 

Mom loves candles, especially those huge candles that smell like vanilla. There's shore to be a ton of them!

There are like a hundred shelves filled with candles of every shape, size, scent; you name it and they have it. 

I immediately walk over to the Vanilla Section and grab a huge candle that's about two feet high and three tiny, morning glory votive candles. They smell really good and they are all on sale.

"You think Mom will like these?" I ask my faithful pokemon.

Yeah, they smell like Vanilla the Bayleef! She exclaims.

I take a deep whiff of these candles and discover that it really does feel like my beloved grass pokemon.

"Yeah, it does." I agree and walk up to the counter until I see a candle holder with a platform for a huge candle and three smaller candle holders spiraling around it. I pick it up and carry it to the counter.

"That'll be fifteen dollars and thirty cents." The cashier says. He has a huge Santa Claus hat on with tiny little bells at the brim.

I pull out my new bankcard and slide it across the machine. A receipt prints out and I briefly add my pretty signature and walk out the store with Ellie on my shoulder.

"Let's go find a tie for Dad!" I say.

OK. Ellie agrees with a spaced off look in her eyes.

What's gotten in to her?

I get a tie for Dad every year, it never fails. It's like a tradition and I've been doing it since I was ten years old. 

At Macy's, I find a nice-looking silk tie with white pinstripes on it. It came to about ten dollars and then we left that store to go to the Film Co., which is a place where film accessories are sold. I buy Rika a five hundred-sheet pack of film paper and then I go to Sears to buy the CJ's gift.

I ponder over which watch I should buy for him. It's either the watch with the silver lining and leather band or the watch with the gold lining. 

I think that he would look the best in silver so I pay for the watch and scurry out of the department store and back to the middle of the mall.

OH NO! I forgot!

"Hey Ellie! Stay right here for just a sec ok?" I ask her.

Sure! She says leaps into one of the trees for protection.

I briskly walk to Precious Pokemon so that I can buy gifts for my buddies. You can't forget about them.

I end up buying ribbons of assorted colors for the girls along with those army-like chains with their names on them. They are sure to like them for they like anything that I give them, plus they'll be nice looking for the Christmas party.

I dash back to the mall to find CJ, Rika, and Ellie waiting for me.

"Finally!" Rika complains with a smile.

I just laugh and Ellie leaps onto my shoulder.

We walk out of the mall and back to the Taurus for the ride home.

"Silent Night." Is on now and we all sway to the music. This is perhaps one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time.

Then a song from Christina Aguilera's "My Kind of Christmas" plays on the radio. She has to have like the best voice or close to it. I love her songs, especially "What a Girl Wants".

When we arrive at home I take off of Ellie's snowsuit and hurry up the stairs to wrap my gifts.

For Dad, I wrap the gift in shiny silver wrapping paper. I wrap Mom's with red paper with candy canes on it. I wrap Rika and CJ's in glittery blue paper, and finally I wrap the pokemon's presents in black paper that has pastel lines arranged in a plaid design.

After I finished the wrapping and I was satisfied with them, I grab them all and transport them downstairs to place them under our huge Christmas tree.

To my surprise, none of my people are in the den so I decide to waltz into the living room where all of them are gathered around the fireplace.

"Am I missing something?" I ask as I sit next to CJ.

"Not at all." Dad replies.

"Here, have some eggnog." Mom offers as she hands me a cup of warm, creamy eggnog.

I take a sip and the warmth spreads through my entire body. I suddenly grow calm as we sit there looking at the soft flickering flames of the fireplace.

I sit between CJ's legs and he wraps his arms around me.

We sit together from then on and the next thing I know, it's Christmas morning.

***

"Wow! This is great!" Mom exclaims as she assembles the candleholder that I gave her.

"Thanks Rosie!" She exclaims as she gives me a tight hug.

That was the last present that Mom had opened. From Dad, she got a diamond ring that's in the marquise-cut, Rika and CJ bought her some more candles, and she received various other gifts from relatives along the way.

"I guess it's my turn." Dad says as he opens all his gifts.

"Thanks Honey!" He says as he looks at his tie and the sweater that Mom gave him. 

CJ had given him some cologne and Rika bought him a new paperweight for his desk at his office. 

Rika opens her gifts next; she received a sweater by Mom and by her mother, a new camera from her father, a ten-pack roll of film by CJ, and the film paper by me.

CJ receives a thick book about pokemon breeding by his parents, a necklace with wooden beads by Rika, and the watch from me. 

He attempts to give me a kiss but Dad clears his throat and he silently back away.

"It's your turn now Rosie. Here's a gift from Aunt Peony!" Mom says as she hands me a rectangular box.

I rip it open and pull out a box with a sporty outfit in it. There is a heather blue short-sleeved top, a plain gray long-sleeved top, and some beige khaki chinos with a slight flare that has heather blue embroidery on it.

"Cool..." I say as I read the note that's included. It says:

__

Dear Rosie,

I really hope that you enjoy this snazzy outfit that I gave you. 

Happy Holidays, Peony

Next, Mom hands me her gift, which included a pair of blue and gray sneakers that match my outfit perfectly. 

"Thanks Mom!" I say and give her a peck on the cheek.

Now I open Rika's gift, which happens to be a new wristwatch that has a picture of all three of us in the glass.

"Oh Rika!" I say and give her a hug.

"I was expecting that. This way you'll always have a part of me with you." She says.

"Take this! Take this!" Dad exclaims as he forces a tiny box at me.

"Hmm.I wonder what this could be?" I ask sarcastically. It's probably another tent or something.

I open the case that reveals two capsules there is one blue and one white.

"Open the blue one, the white tablet is too big to be opened in the house." Dad says.

I toss the capsule to the ground and with a big poof; it turns into a shiny gray laptop computer.

A wide smile appears on my face.

"Dad this is wonderful!" I say as I leap into his already open arms. He knows me too well.

"Yeah, it is. It's completely wireless and you can publish pictures. Plus you can call people at anytime! The other capsule is a portable house that all of you can stay in." He boasts.

Our jaws drop to the ground.

"Here Rosie." CJ says as he hands me a small box with a white bow on it.

"Thanks CJ." I say.

Everyone seems to crowd around us as I open the gift.

I open the box to see a beautiful crystal necklace that is mostly made of beads but there is a flat diamond shaped crystal dangling off of it.

"It's beautiful!" I gasp and jump into his arms.

"It's a mood necklace. There are instructions in the box." He says.

The necklace turns a fiery crimson color. This means that I am filled with love.

I hug him even more.

I also received another outfit from my Aunt Lily that resembles my other one except that it is lilac and a dark purple and there is no embroidery or short-sleeved-shirt just a long-sleeved one.

Just before we leave the pokemon open their gifts and shower me with affection.

Rosie, we all found this and want you to have this. Ellie says and hands me a beautiful crystal with all the colors of the rainbow in it.

"Thanks." I say.

I look at Mom who's stuck in the doorframe.

A look of pain spreads across her face.

"It's time!" She bellows.

***

"I can't believe that you didn't see this little baby girl!" Dad says as he holds my baby sister that has mauve hair and teal eyes.

Yes, my Mom ended up having triplets instead of just twins. The doctors didn't pick up my sister until the last few months of her pregnancy. Oh my god, how could they not see a little baby girl?

Mom was in her hospital bed with my brothers cradled in her arms. They are exactly identical with their teal eyes and to my surprise, blue hair.

Yes, they have blue hair, I guess that it skips a generation or something like that. Dad's brother has blue hair as does Grandpa but Grandma used to have red hair like his.

Mom had given birth a few hours ago.

The labor itself was very long and tiring. It lasted about five hours because the girl didn't want to seem to make it into this wonderful world just yet. 

Today is the day after Christmas and we had all spent the night with my Mom.

Mom and the triplets will be home in two days.

"What are you going to name them Rose?" Rika and CJ ask.

"I don't know, what do you think Honey?" Mom says as she wipes her damp hair with her hand.

"Bartholomew would be great." He says.

"Dad!" I yell.

"Just kidding, I have no clue. You have a good sense of style Rosie, why don't you name them?" He asks.

Wow! I'm going to name the triplets!

I take one of the boys and search for something to distinguish them by. 

"Hey this boy has a mole on his neck!" I point out.

I look deep into the familiar eyes. He stares back with curiosity. _Who's this? _He wonders.

"How about Evan?" I ask.

"That's a great name!" They all say.

"Evan Fierra, that works for me!" Dad says.

Evan coos happily.

Then I take up the other baby boy to name him.

He touches my nose with his tiny little fingers.

"Aw..." Rika jokes.

He's such a cutie pie!

"Your name is going to be Julio!" I say after giving it much thought.

"Julio? I don't like that name!" Mom says quickly with a frown.

"OK, you don't have to yell! Is Julian all right with you Mother Dearest?" I ask jokingly.

"Yeah." Mom says while suppressing a giggle.

"That's a cool name." CJ says.

I scoop the baby girl from Dad's arms.

"This princess is going to be Rosalynne." I say.

Rosalynne gurgles in content.

"That's lovely, we have to keep up our family name, eh Rosie?" Mom says.

Everyone laughs happily.

***

"This is it you all, this is our last training session before we enter the Championships tomorrow!" I remind them.

Each pokemon nods their head in agreement. 

"We have to make this count, and that is why we are doing this obstacle course!" I say as I show them the obstacle before them.

There are tires, monkey bars, ropes, the lake, barbed wire, you name it and most likely it is there. In a way it reminds me of the army or perhaps boot camp. 

"I'll go first to lead the way." I say.

"Tell me when!" I say to Rika. 

She's the time tracker for this exercise.

"Go!" She yells.

I run my fastest until I get to the tires. 

Then I waddle my way throw them and climb the monkey bars.

With a mighty heave I use my upper body strength to carry myself along the twenty-foot monkey bars. The metal of the bars sting my hands but I hold firm. I just can't give up!

I climb the platform and grab the rope that is suspended from a large oak. With a deep breath I run with the rope and let go once I'm over the water.

With a huge flash that makes my skin burn I paddle to sure. The water is so cold! It's practically frozen! My body is burning and I'm afraid that I can get hypothermia if I keep on.

Somehow, someway, I make my way to sure and fall to the ground so I can crawl under the barbed wires. 

After that, I get up and climb up a rope that leads up to the Finish Platform. 

This has got to be the hardest part of all. Words can't explain what it feels like to climb a frozen rope with your body half-frozen and with snow falling. It's horrible, but it will make us tougher, it really will.

Crossing the finish line felt like the greatest thing that I have ever accomplished.

"That was three minutes and thirty seconds Rosie."

Ellie comes in at three minutes and twenty seconds and all the other pokemon except Crimson and Dew come in at around that time with Artemis coming in at two minute and fifty-nine seconds. 

Crimson came in at five minutes and so did Dew. For Crimson was weak against water and the rope took a lot out of him. 

Dew has no arms so he had to use his tail and that took a really long time.

"Let's get down to two minutes and thirty seconds." I tell my wheezing pokemon.

Okay. They agree. 

I know that they're tired but we have to keep up. This is vital and things will be much easier once we start the battling at the League.

After about three more goes we all got around the desired times and Crimson became use to water and it doesn't effect him as much now. Dew is happier using his tail more than ever too.

***

Much better. Sparky says as we sit next to the warm fireplace.

"Yeah, but it's done now, maybe we'll never have to do something that grueling again." I explain.

I hope so! Vanilla says.

The vegetable soup that we're eating is just wonderful. It is really doing its job.

"All done!" I say after I finish polishing Excalibur's armor. 

I had just finished grooming my last pokemon and they all looked fabulous. 

All the female pokemon had their ribbons and collars on. The males had their collars on too.

Each pokemon glistened.

Hey Mommy, I look and feel good! Dew infers.

"That's the point!" I say with a smile.

It is? Cool! He exclaims.

We all erupt in laughter; he sure is the life of the group.

I remember when he was jus a baby, he was so dependent on me as his sole provider. But now, he is just as independent as the others are and he is quite the individual.

Mom and Dad walk in with the triplets in their arms.

"Change Rosalynne for me Rosie." Mom says as she hands me my tiny baby sister with her cute pajamas on.

I gently lay her on the carpet and change her diaper as the pokemon watch in amazement.

Hey little Rosalynne. They say to her.

Rosalynne somewhat claps her hands together and laughs.

Hmm. Can she understand them?

"How is little Evan?" I ask as I tickle his tiny feet.

He just gurgles and then I do the same to Julian.

"If you help me get them ready we can make it to the Fireworks!" Mom says. 

I return my pokemon and put them in my purse for the time being.

The Fireworks celebrates the beginning of the Championships and now we're going to join in the celebration.

"Come on Ellie!" I say as we clothe the babies and put on our own jackets.

The Championships itself takes place on a smaller island that is attached to the island. It's called Little Cocoa.

After everyone is ready we hop into the van that we have. Dad had bought it a few years ago to use when we had a lot of people over and as you can see. There are eight people in our household now.

Dad drives the van to the eastern side of the island and crosses the bridge to Little Cocoa. 

The island is packed with cars. There must be at least five thousand and that's the least for many people park on two other islands that are connected to Little Cocoa. These are called the Tiny Cocoas.

There is like a huge plastic dome that covers these islands and the crew sets the temperature. It's very advanced and it is always warm here.

We hurry to Milky Stadium, the largest stadium of the five. This is where the trainer goes when he or she triumphs over the other fields.

We get our seats towards the top of the stadium.

CJ holds my hand and Ellie holds Dew in my lap.

I look at CJ and we smile.

The stadium has all sorts of flowers all around! There are balloons of grass pokemon and flowers hanging suspended in the air. Everything is just flowery. I truly understand the theme of Flower Power now.

The fireworks begin automatically. They explode into all sorts of design, even flowers. They are of all colors and shapes and sizes. The flares are just beautiful.

I can see Rika flashing away on her new camera.

The babies are giggling in delight and Mom and Dad are in complete awe. 

I like at CJ and he looks at me and we share a passionate kiss before the 'rents catch us. 

Then I look at my two darling pokemon who are smiling up at me.

I scoop them into my arms.

"This is it you two, we made it!" I say.

From here on out, there will be no regrets! 

__

This is the end of Training Days.


End file.
